Research blog

On 20 November 1934, the Alfred Jones arrived at Alexandra Dock, Hull. On board was a Cameroonian man named Garabu, who arrived with his travelling zoo. The Hull Daily Mail reported that lions, hyenas, monkeys, wild dogs, foxes, pelicans, golden crested cranes and a wide variety of other animals were all on display to amazed spectators.

Do you know anything more about Garabu or his travelling zoo? If you have any further information please click the contact us button below and get in touch. We would love to receive photographs of this event to supplement Garabu’s story which is coming soon!

We are currently working on the story of Dennis Fyle and would love your help.

As the first Black man employed by Hull City Council, the chair for Racial Equality in the region and as one of the founders of Hull’s Afro-Caribbean Society, we know Dennis positively impacted people’s lives. Therefore, we want to write a story about him which demonstrates the difference he made in society.

If you know a story about Dennis or would like to write a few words about how he made a difference to your life, please click the contact us button below and get in touch. Your words will feature on our Dennis Fyle page which is coming soon.

The African Stories in Hull and East Yorkshire event last Friday was attended by over sixty people at Hull University’s Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE). Those attending said that they found the day informative and surprising with a varied range of interesting stories.

Project Lead Gifty Burrows introduces the African Stories event

The speakers were:Dr Lauren Darwin, our project researcher who gave an overview of the project to date exploring the history of Black men and women in Hull and East Yorkshire between 1750 and 2007. She then went on to pick out particular points in history and commented on the themes that we have developed. She also explained how the project might expand in the future. Rona Dickinson an archivist and President of the Marshland Local History Group who became aware of their "Black Vicar" Rev Edward Cragg Haynes some years ago. Her talk covered his family, the role of Freedmen in Barbados and his mark on the village of Swinefleet.Dr Carolyn Conroy, our Web Manager who spoke about the first visits by the Fisk University Jubilee Singers of Nashville Tennessee to Hull in the 1870s. She gave a brief background history of the troupe and looked at the individual singers' stories.Dr Nick Evans, an experienced lecturer at WISE who specialises in Migration, explored the everyday life of Black settlers in interwar Hull. He focussed on areas such as their housing, living conditions, social life and integration of what remained a small visibly ethnic community once it moved beyond the Sailor Town of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.Audrey Dewjee, a specialist in Black History gave a brief overview of the events of the Hull Riots of 1920 and then looked at how the riots had an effect on inter-racial family life.

The feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive and we were delighted by the enthusiastic praises. However, we are always looking for ways of improving the project and so welcome suggestions. The following are ideas raised in the comments:

Involve schools:- we wrote directly to many secondary schools to inform them of this event but disappointingly, no schools attended. We actively look to involve young people and continue to make efforts to do so. We invite any level school to contact us as we would be happy to visit and share what we are finding. We welcome contributions of long or short story. Choose a person on the website or someone new…..what about Clive Sullivan, Curtis Woodhouse, JJ Okocha etc? The information shared on the project website can be used in curriculum areas such as History, English, Geography, Sociology, Citizenship, Media Studies, Visual Arts etc.

The use of terminology such as ‘coloured’ or ‘Black’ can be confusing:- A glossary and dates of use was suggested; we will look to help clarify this point and think about how we can present this information on the website.

More people should know about this project:- We continue to inform widely and have taken up media opportunities in TV, Radio and Newspapers. Please ﻿download our poster﻿ and help us spread the word. Let us know where and we’ll try and get it there! This is a community project for everyone of all backgrounds to join in!

Thank you to all who came to our African Stories event and to those who continue to support the project.

For the past week we have been analysing the original Wilberforce House visitor log which contains the signatures of those who toured the building between 1891 and 1900. Although the museum was not opened until 1906 the house was still a relatively popular tourist attraction for people who could gain access.

Many of the names inside the log are of local men and women, with only a small proportion of people stating that their birthplace was outside of Yorkshire. However, amongst the often-illegible signatures, two names clearly stand out.

The first is dated 15 May 1893 and is the signature of Nigerian Bishop, Reverend Isaac Oluwole. The second is unmistakably Haitian scholar and diplomat Louis Joseph Janvier who visited Wilberforce House on 7 November 1895.

Keep checking our website to learn more about these very interesting men and why they travelled to Hull. Their exciting stories are coming soon!